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5 Fun and Easy Ways to Practice Spelling Generalizations

Monday, January 15, 2018

5 Fun and Easy Ways to Practice Spelling Generalizations

When you are working with children in Orton-Gillingham lessons or other reading interventions, there is often a big discrepancy between our students’
proficiency with understanding a spelling generalization and their proficiency
with the application of that spelling generalization. It takes a lot of
practice to speed up the process and build automaticity with these orthographic
patterns, as well as develop the ability to effectively self-monitor their
spelling for accuracy.

The most obvious time to incorporate practice and review of
the spelling generalizations is during SOS (Simultaneous Oral Spelling). However, I find that with so many
new concepts to review and the abundant practice that spelling generalizations
require, my students are more successful if I weave in practice in other places
in the lesson as well. By choosing one of these techniques on a regular basis,
it gives students the opportunity to practice the skill in different ways and
to become flexible and fluent with their knowledge.

1.Warm-up

I will often write 6 or 8
fill-in-the-blank words on the white board. At the beginning of the lesson or
right before introducing the new concept, I will have the student fill in the
missing letter. This is especially useful when introducing a similar spelling
generalization. For example, warming up with the k/ck generalization is a
natural segue to introducing the ch/tch generalization, while the ou/ow
generalization review lends itself to the introduction of the au/aw
generalization. I like to do this with white board markers, but it could just
as easily be done on a half sheet of photocopy paper in a group setting.

2.Phonemic Awareness

I frequently make a brief phonemic
awareness activity part of my practice with new or recent spelling rules. Since
the spelling choice often depends on hearing the sound that precedes the
phoneme in question or the placement in a word, this is a natural extension of
a phoneme segmentation activity. Using blocks, tiles, bingo chips or pennies,
students segment the sounds in a word. However, instead of using a blank block
or tile for the targeted spelling rule, students choose between tiles with the
2 spelling choices. This builds the connection between hearing the short vowel
sound and the visual pattern that should follow.

3.Filler Activity

When a student needs extensive
practice with a spelling generalization, I like to use this technique because
it is so time flexible. Depending on how quickly other portions of the lesson
plan go, we can do just one or two words or a larger number. Begin with a
randomized list of words that are within concepts that a student has been
taught, but exhibit the spelling rule. For example, a student in Level 1 may
have words like truck and snake and milk, while a student further along in
their Orton Gillingham sequence may have those words as well as speak, stork
and chunk.

Using a game board with a colored
pushpin on a bulletin board or a graph to color to keep track of progress,
students are asked to spell a word. For each word that they spell correctly,
they can move forward one space or color in a square on the graph. Another
variation is to have the student pick a number within a certain range. For a
quicker round, ask for a lower number, if you have more time you can have the
student choose a bigger number. Students spell a word correctly in order to roll
the dice. Keep a running total. See how close they can get to their target
number without going over.

4.SOS & Dictation

While there is not always room in
the lesson plan to explicitly choose spelling rule practice as part of SOS and
Dictation sentences, but words that apply spelling generalizations frequently
appear. It is second nature to us to review the spelling rule if a student
makes an error. However, all too often it seems like students choose “the other
one” if they think they’ve made a mistake. So, rather than only reviewing the
spelling generalization if a student is incorrect, I will frequently draw their
attention to a time that they spelled a word correctly and ask them to explain
why they made that spelling choice. For example, many students become
proficient at spelling the word lunch because they see it on the schedule daily
at school. However, to explain why they use ch rather than tch, they need a
clear understanding of the rule. If they can’t do so, you have another
opportunity to reiterate the rule. For more SOS practice, read Taking A Crack At Spelling.

5.Exit Ticket

Before letting students go at the
end of a lesson, you can have them choose the correct spelling similar to a
fill-in-the-blank activity. There are lots of fun ways to randomly select one word
and keep things exciting. With some simple color coding, you can even have
different spelling generalization practice going at the same time.

·A jar of popsicle sticks that have challenge
questions such as: k or ck? sna____

·Index cards with different fill-in-the-blank
spelling choice

·Rolling a write-on wipe-off die with an
unfinished word on each side

·Using a fortune teller game with a spelling
question inside

The exit ticket is also a great way
to quickly see which students may need more practice in a group or whole class
setting. Have each student choose their own card or stick and choose the
correct spelling and return their card as they line up or leave the room.

Just learning a spelling rule isn’t enough. Students need
abundant opportunities for review and practice in order to make new learning
truly their own. When you see a struggling student correcting a classmates
spelling because they’ve mastered a rule, the pride they feel in their
achievement is unmistakable. For more spelling tips, check out Visualizing Spelling Strategies.

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My name is Emily. I am a mom of four, and an educator who loves creating and blogging about all things literacy! As an Orton-Gillingham instructor, I seek to find and create resources to assist children with dyslexia. Thank you for stopping by my blog today!